Keep your eyes on the skies: Annual Perseid meteor shower set to peak tonight

A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower in Vinton, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP - Kevin Clifford

Stargazers are in for a shimmering show tonight as the annual Perseid meteor shower is set to reach its peak.

NASA says the fireball shower began last month and the celestial event is expected to peak tonight and tomorrow before ending on Aug. 23.

The space agency says the Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, but at times it’s possible to view the streaks of colourful cosmic light as early as 10 p.m.

NASA says about 50 to 100 meteors are seen per hour during the shower, with meteors shooting across the sky at about 59 kilometres per second.

The U.S. space agency says every Perseid meteor is a tiny piece of the 26-kilometre-wide comet Swift-Tuttle, which swings near the sun every 133 years.

NASA says the meteor shower comes after earth passes through the debris of the comet, allowing the meteors to collide with our atmosphere and create the starry streaks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.